Beverage cooler and dispenser



W 1941- A. J. STEPHENS 2,238,193

BEVERAGE COOLER AND DISPENSER Filed may 14, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l j grl Q i I X 1" fW/ /i f .8 fl' /2 v l M 9/2 0 8' o +13 .4. Jim Wham 2779- 2 I INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS.

5 SheetsSheet 2 W m M fl, dze vkild INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

April 1941- A. J. STEPHENS v BEVERAGE COOLER AND DISPENSER Filed May 14, 1940 April 1941- A. J. STEPHENS 2,238,193

BEVERAGE COOLER AND DISPENSE Filed May 14, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Apr. 15, 1941 UNITED STATES arises.

orrice 8 Claims.

This invention relates to a beverage cooler and dispenser and is designed more especially as a small bar or a bar unit in which beer or other beverages in kegs can be conveniently placed and coupled to dispensing faucets, the means employed for holding the keg also serving as a holder for a refrigerating medium.

A further object is to provide a complete beverage cooling and dispensing unit having drain boards forming a part thereof, there being a compartment located in the top portion of the unit in which the beverage glasses can be held and filled, these glasses being readily accessible from the top of the unit, as needed.

A further object is to combine with the unit a Water cooler with dispensing faucets, this cooler including a coil which, with the glass-- holding means, is seated within a tank for bolding a chilling medium.

Another object is to provide a unit of this type the contents of which are visible through the top and through the front.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes maybe made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings- Figure 1 is a top plan view of the unit.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a section on line 33, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4, Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a section on line 55, Figure 2.-

Figure 6 is a section on line 66, Figure 1.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, l designates a cabinet having suitably insulated walls and of such size as to form either a small bar or a unit of a large bar extended from the sides thereof. This cabinet is divided by a partition 2 into separate compartments 3 and 4 each of which is provided at the front with a. Window 5 and at the back with a door 6 similar to a refrigerator door which, when closed, is tightly sealed.

The front portion of the top of each compartment 3 and 4 is provided with a window I and between these Windows are lapping slidable closures 8 and 9 within the upper portion of a trough-like structure H) which is located between the windows 1 and extends from the front to the back of the cabinet directly over partition '2.

The back portions of the top of compartments 3 and 4 are stepped downwardly at opposite sides of the structure It, thereby to provide drain boards H spaced apart by the structure it and located below the level of the front portion of the cabinet top.

A dispensing faucet I2 is mounted on the front portion of the cabinet in front of the center of each drain board and has its outlet nozzle overlying the drain :board as shown particularly in Figure 1. Faucets of the push type have been indicated at l3 and are located over the respective drain boards, these faucets being preferably extended from the risers [4 located between the drain boards and the upper or front portions of the cabinet top.

The central structure l0 includes a tank It suspended therein for holding inverted drinking glasses G. Between this tank and one end of the trough-like structure I!) is a coiled pipe it communicating, at one end, with a Water supply pipe l'l while its other end opens into branch pipes l8 leading to the respective faucets E3. The trough structure H] is adapted to be filled with a chilling medium such as ice which thus serves not only to cool the walls of the tank i5 and the contents of that tank but also serves to chill the coil It so that water in the coil will be brought to a low temperature ready to be dispensed through the. faucets l3.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5 those portions .of the wall of the trough structure H] which are between and above the drain boards H, are insulated, these insulated portions being indicated at IS.

The floor of each compartment 3 and. i has parallel cleats 28 extending from the front to the back thereof and forming a track. Each track is adapted to be engaged by the wheels 2! of a dolly 22 which can be rectangular as shown and of sufiicient size to hold a keg or barrel K on end and also to hold broken ice such as indicated at I. This dolly has handles M by means of which it can be readily moved into and out of the compartment and there is provided in each compartment one or more stop blocks 25 for limiting the movement of the dolly into the compartment. Each dolly is so proportioned that it can be moved readily through the door opening when door it is in open position and to facilitate movement of the dolly into the compartment, an

, the outlet ends thereof will overlie and discharge downwardly into a stationary trough 29 located within the compartment and having a suitably located drain opening through which water can be conducted in any suitable manner to a point outside of the unit.

Flexible tubes 30 are connected to the respective faucets l2 and are of such length that while a keg or barrel K is in position within a dolly outside of the unit, the tube can be coupled to the outlet of the keg. The said dolly, with the keg therein and ice packed around the keg can then be rolled into the proper compartment and after the door has been closed, the apparatus is ready for use.

The ice packed about the kegs in the dollies will be useful not only for the purpose of chilling the contents of the kegs but also for chilling the contents of the trough l through the bottom. and through the forward portions of the sides of said trough, these parts being of metal which are efficient conductors of cold. With the glasses G housed in their tank I and ice packed under and back of the tank and in the coil I6, it will be obvious that the glasses will be kept cool and the water to be used for drinking purposes will also be kept chilled.

For the purpose of illuminating the compartments 2 and 3, a suitable lamp 3| can be located in each compartment. In the present instance the lamps can be positioned beneath reflectors 32 and, when lighted, will produce a sparkling effect upon the ice surrounding the keg and which are visible through the front windows 5 and the top windows 1.

What is claimed is:

1. A beverage cooler and dispenser including a cabinet having a window and a door in the front 1 and back thereof respectively, a track in the cabinet leading from the door and toward the window, said cabinet having a downwardly offset top portion constituting a drain board, a dolly removably mounted on the track and movable through the door when open, a faucet on top of the cabinet, and means for connecting the faucet to a keg in the dolly, said dolly constituting means for holding a keg and ice packed around the keg.

2. A beverage cooler and dispenser including a cabinet having a front window and a back door, a trough depending from the top of the cabinet, a closure for the trough, a dolly movable into and out of the cabinet through the door when open, said dolly constituting means for holding a keg and ice for chilling the keg, the trough being positioned to be chilled by the ice, and means for supporting glasses within the trough.

3. A beverage cooler and dispenser including a cabinet having a compartment provided with a front window and a back door, a trough supported within and extending below the top of the cabinet, a top closure for the trough, said trough constituting means for holding drinking glasses, and means for chilling the trough and its contents, said means including a dolly movable through the door and into the cabinet, said dolly being proportioned to hold a keg and ice for chilling the keg. Y

4. A beverage cooler and dispenser including a cabinet having a compartment provided with a front window and a back door, a trough supported within and extending below the top of the cabinet, a top closure for the trough, said trough constituting means for holding drinking glasses, and means for chilling the trough and its contents, said means including a dolly movable through the door and into the cabinet, said dolly being proportioned to hold a keg and ice for chilling the keg, a stationary drain trough within the cabinet, and means carried by the dolly for draining water into the trough when the dolly is positioned in the cabinet.

5. A beverage cooling and dispensing unit including a cabinet having separate compartments, each compartment having a window in the front thereof and a door opening in the back, doors closing the opening, a track in each compartment leading from the door opening, the top of each compartment having a downwardly offset portion constituting a drain, there being a trough structure within the top portion of the cabinet and extending between the drains, the bottom of said structure being exposed Within the compartments, and a dolly mounted for movement through each door opening and onto the track, said dolly being proportioned to hold a keg and ice for chilling the keg and the bottom of the trough.

6. A beverage cooling and dispensing unit including a cabinet having a compartment provided with a door opening and a door for normally closing the opening, a track in the cabinet leading from the opening, the top of the cabinet having downwardly offset portions constituting a drain and there being a trough-like portion forming a part of the top and having its bottom exposed within the cabinet at one side of the drain, a faucet mounted on the top and overhanging the drain, and a tube within the cabinet and connected to the faucet, and a dolly movable through the door opening into the cabinet and along the track, said dolly being proportioned to hold a keg in position for attachment to the tube and to hold a chilling medium about the keg and in position to chill the bottom of the trough structure.

7. In a structure of the class described a cabinet having separate compartments each provided with a door opening, closures for the openings, the top of each compartment being offset downwardly to provide a drain board, a trough-like structure depending from the top and between the drain boards, said structure having a shiftable closure at the top thereof, means in the structure for supporting glasses to be chilled, dollies movable through the door openings into the respective compartments, each dolly being proportioned to hold a keg and a chilling medium for cooling the keg and the bottom of the trough structure.

8. A structure of the class described including a cabinet having a faucet, a keg connected to the faucet, a trough suspended from the top of the cabinet, a closure for the top of the trough, means in the trough for supporting glasses to be chilled, and a dolly positioned to hold a chilling medium within the cabinet to chill the keg and a portion of the trough.

ANDRE'VV J. STEPHENS. 

